How To: Entrepreneurs Use Social Media

A lot of companies think of social media as a way to broadcast their message, but that’s not true. You need to stand for something. Having a perspective and opinion is really important, even if it means disagreeing with a lot of people. The worst thing you can do is say the same thing everyone else is saying, because it doesn’t make you different. Keep in mind that it’s not about the raw number of people who follow you. It’s really about matchmaking — you being matched with various groups of people who want to hear what you have to say.

Then, you must listen. You’re not using social media to send a message to your users; you’re doing it because you want to listen to them. Those 500 people aren’t going to make a meaningful difference to your business, unless you allow them to by listening to them and making changes to your business accordingly.

It’s also a way to reward your best customers. Do something special for them and build more loyalty. If you can grow the level of engagement and get them to love you, then they’ll tell all their friends.